Harvesting-reel



(No Model.)`

G. ESTER-LY.

HARVESTING REEL.

Patented 001;. 14, 1884.-

ilNTTnn STATES PATENT @Trina GEORGE FSTERLY, OF VHITEVATER, VISCONSIN.

HARVES'TING-REEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 306,681, dated October 14, 1884.

Application led February 24, 1883. (No model.) y

To ali whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE EsTERLY, of

d Vhitewater, in the county of Walworth and State ot' XVisconsin, have invented certain Improvements in Harvester-Reels, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to harvesting-reels; and it consists in the means for adjusting the same, as hereinafter"described and claimed.

Inasmuch as my improvements are applicable to various machines of otherwise ordinary construction, and have no special relation to the construction of the main frame and gearing, I have represente'd in the drawings only those parts of the machinewhich are im-A mediately connected with the reel.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the reel-standard and the driving devices. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, the arm which immediately sustains the reel-shaft being represented in section at its rear end. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the adjustable frameor support for the reel-shaft. Fig. 4 is a view illustrating the arrangement of the foot-levers by which the reel-standard is unlocked.

The drawings illustrate the mannerin which the improvements are commonly employed in harvesters of the form in general use at the present day. A horizontal plank or arm, t, commonly secured in an elevated position on the main frame, as usual, gives support to the seat-standard j and to a horizontal reel-driving shaft, 7a, as usual, the shaft extending in a :t'ore-and-aft direction. To the forward end of the plank there is hinged or jointed the lower end of an upright standard, Z, arranged to swing forward and backward, and the upper ends of which are forked or divided, as in Fig. 2. The lower arms oit' the standard are connected tothe supporting-plank through the medium of bearing plates or ears in the form shown, or in any other suit-able form which will admit of the standard swinging freely at its upper end. The upper arms of the standard are each provided with a forwardly-extending hub, m, and upon these hubs is mounted the rear end of a horizontal reelsustaining frame, a, which thus receives its entiresupport through the journals directly from the standard. The frame n is made of a rectangular form divided transversely into two parts, the overlapping arms of which are swiveled and connected by bolts to admit of the frame being elongated to tighten the reeldriving chain, as hereinafter explained. The rear end of the frame n, which bears on the journals ofthe standard, as before mentioned, is made hollow or semi-tubular to fit upon the trnnnions of the standard, and is secured in place by means of a removable half-box, p, Fig. 3, which, passing beneath one of the trunnions, holds the frame down` securely thereon, preventing it from rocking or tip` ping upward under the weight of the reel, which over-hangs the frame on the opposite side. The framethus journaled to the standard is free to rise and fall at its forward end, through which the horizontal supp orting shaft q is passed. The swinging motion of the frame u permits the reel to be raised and lowered, while the swinging motion of the standard admits of its being moved forward and backward. The reelshaft is provided with a sprocket-wheel, A7", driven by a chain, i', from a wheel, if, applied to a driving-shaft, g. This shaft g is extended horizontally and centrally through the arms of the standard l andl the trunnions thereon.

Inasmuch as the frame a is\supported by the trunnions of the standard, the drivingshaft is wholly relieved from the weight and friction of the frame, to which it would otherwise be subjected; consequently I am en# abled to drive the reel with less power, and to avoid the wear upon the shaft, which would otherwise occur. x

I am aware that a reel-supporting shaft has been journaled upon a shaft through which motion was communicated indirectly to the reel, the shaft being made to serve as the pivot or journal of the frame, and to such construction I lay no claim.

For the purpose of locking the standard in the required posit-ion,I connect thereto a horizcntal bar, extending upward,and provided at the rear end with a series of notches, or a notched plate adapted to interlock with a stirrup or pin on the side of theseat-standard or other fixed portion of the machine. The

IOO

bar engages automatically by reason of its gravity. In order that it may be raised to permit the movement of the standard without requiring the use of the operators hands for the purpose, I pivot to the seat-supports,as in Figs. l and et, a foot-lever, s, provided with an upright arm or rod, t,which slides through a ixed guide at iis upper end, in position to bear against the inner side et' the locki 11g-bar. rlhe operator, by depressing the lever s with his foot, raises and unlocks the bar i', leaving the standard free, so that the reel may be moved forward and backward at will.

For the purpose of operating and locking the frame a to eli'eet .the vertical adjustment of the lever, I boltthereto a backwardly-extending hand-lever, a, the rear end of which is within reach of the driver. rIlhis lever is provided with a thumb-latch, '0, and with a rod, w, extending tlience to a bolt, it, mounted on the lever and arranged to engage in notches or perforations in a curved plate, y, secured to the rcel-standard. By the operation of the latch 'u the lever Izt and f rame a are released, so that the driver, by raising and lowering the rear end of the lever, may place the reel at the required elevation. The release ofthe latch isl'ollowed by the automatic locking of the parts. The lever u will serve as a convenient means of-nioving the reelstandard forward and backward when unlocked.

I will now describe the mechanism by which the reel shaft is driven. rlhe primary driving-shaft Tr, driven in any suitable manner from other moving parts of the harvester, is provided at thel'iiirward end with a bevel-pin ion, c, which engages with a corresponding gear, b', attached to one end of a horizontal transverse shall', c', extending through the lower end oi' the reel-standard and the journals by which it is supported. This shaft c carries a sprocket-wheel, d', from which a driving-chain, c'. extends upward to a sprocket-wheel,f, on the outer end of the shaft y',

before mentioned. This shaft g is provided at the opposite end with a sprocket-wheel, h', from which a chain, if, is extended to a sp rocket-wheel, j', on the reel-shaft.

come the tendency of the reel to sag or hang down ward.

Another advantage arising l'rom thelocation ofthe driving-chain c on the outer oi.' stubble side of the standard lies in the fact that the chain is thus placed in a position in which. it is not liable to become obstructed or entangled with the graiu,as is the case when itis located on the inner or grainside of the standard,and this notwithstanding the fact that guards were employed to protect it.

lf desired, pulleys m and a may be adjustably secured upon the lever fil, and upon the rod r, respectively, as shown, to act upon the chains and serve as a means of ti ghtening the saine, the pulleys being mounted on plates which are slotted and secured by bolts to move forward and backward at will.

For the purpose of limiting the swinging motion of the reel, I bolt to the snliportingplank e' an upright plate or guard,o7 provided with shoulders to encounter the standard.

It will be observed that the driving-shaft 7.:- is located at the outer or stubble side of the seat-plank i, whereby the gear upon its endis brought into position to avoid entanglement with the grain.

Having thus described my invention, what I .claim isi In combination with the swinging reel-standard, the notched locking'bar pivoted thereto, lixed devices to engage with said bar, and the foot-lever for unlocking the bar,as described, whereby the operator is enabled to unlock the standard by the use of his foot, leaving his hands free for other purposes.

GEOR( ll l` 'IIE RLY. 1Witnesses:

l. I. lunnows, .To XV. RicuMoNn. 

